Syria’s post-war landscape: challenge of returning home

December 8 marked one year since the fall of the al-Assad regime, which had ruled Syria for 54 years. The 14-year-long conflict, which reached its peak in 2021, triggered one of the world’s largest migration crises, with 6.8 million Syrians, about a third of the population, fleeing their homes in search of refuge.

The majority of refugees sought shelter in neighbouring countries: 3.74 million settled in Türkiye, 840,000 in Lebanon, and 672,000 in Jordan. Now, with the regime’s collapse and a fragile peace settling in, many Syrians who had fled are considering returning to rebuild their lives, Al Jazeera writes.

One such returnee is Khalid al-Shatta, a 41-year-old management professional from Damascus. Fleeing Syria in 2012 with his wife and young son, al-Shatta lived in Jordan and Türkiye before deciding to return after the regime’s fall.

“The moment Syria was liberated, we made our decision,” he told Al Jazeera. “My family and I came to the conclusion that we have to return to Syria, and be part of its future.”

For al-Shatta, the experience of coming back to Syria was profound:

“I felt like I have never left Syria before, with one difference—the feeling of belonging to this country, to this nation, this land.”

Al-Shatta is among the 782,000 Syrians who have returned over the past year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). However, many returnees face a harsh reality. Though there are job opportunities, wages are low, and the cost of living is high.

"Syria is not cheap [to live] compared with the average salaries," al-Shatta explains, noting that while some families live on as little as $150 to $200 per month, others earn up to $2,000.

Housing is another significant challenge. Despite 69 pern cent of Syrians owning property, many returnees are unable to afford repairs or face high rents, with some living in damaged homes or makeshift accommodations.

As Syrians return home, they face the dual challenge of rebuilding not only their lives but also the country itself. The IOM also reports that nearly 1.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned to their hometowns in the past year, bringing the total number of returnees to 2.6 million. However, millions more remain displaced, including over 1.9 million in rural Damascus, 1.33 million in Aleppo, and nearly one million in Idlib.

Talal Nader al-Abdo, a 42-year-old from Maaret al-Numan in southern Idlib, was displaced multiple times during the war. After years in refugee camps, he returned to his hometown, despite it being “destroyed and demolished.”

“When the regime fell, I knew that relief had come, the bombing had ended, and the time was near for us to return to our homes,” he said.

For Syrians abroad, the decision to return is intertwined with both hope and uncertainty. While many have been inspired by the regime’s fall, they must navigate the ongoing challenges of rebuilding in a war-ravaged country.

Meanwhile, in Europe, the refugee crisis has evolved. Following al-Assad’s fall, several European countries paused asylum applications from Syrians, with total applications dropping by 23 per cent in 2025 compared to the previous year. The EU also updated its guidelines, declaring that Syrians opposed to al-Assad or avoiding military service were no longer at risk of persecution.

As of mid-2025, Syrians are no longer the largest group seeking asylum in the EU, signaling the broader shifts in the migration patterns post-conflict. 

By Sabina Mammadli